oops… forgot to include this one with last night’s batch of books…

NOT THE SYMPTOMS, THE DISEASE

now playing: Done All Wrong – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Christianity in Crisis (21st Century)- Hank Hanegraaff

Hank Hanegraaff revisits a book that he wrote about twenty years ago… and it’s pretty clear that, based on the escalated propagation of the message he specifically targets, he’ll need to write another edition in half that time…

the book calls out many “celebrity” preachers of the day – televangelists and what not – by name, providing quotes and pointing out the fundamental flaws that have led them and many others astray from the original message… he tries to detail where the paths have intersected, but the “prosperity gospel” and “faith movement” messages seem as accurate as the last person in a long game of “telephone”…

However, and very importantly, Hanegraaff issues a call to action of sorts… recommending avoidance in some cases and a healthy dose of self-evaluation… it’s important to address the root cause, the disease rather than just all the symptoms… and to that end, the book offers a boot camp of sorts, with the “Back to Basics” section that explains the fundamental beliefs of Christianity… following after that are three appendices that are also quite helpful and informative…

All-in-all, there’s a lot of finger-pointing and calling on the carpet in a sense, but without being mean-spirited… it’s clear that “The Bible Answer Man” has done his due diligence and that his goal is not to attack, but to heal what could potentially become a fatal blow to a large cross-section of the church… Christianity in Crisis is an interesting read for those into church history or perhaps sociology as it relates to the church…

peace… love… bdg…